All user reviews for the Zvex Fuzz Factory

I bought one of these pedals a few years ago. I wanted to get a tone from a fuzz box similar to what I like about the Big Muff but with a few more options. Well after about 30 seconds with the pedal I found out it doesn't anything like a Big Muff. It wasn't very thick and warm. To me the sound was thin and metallic and not very pleasing to the ear. It had a unpleasant buzzing sound to the tone that I really didn't care for.

UTILIZATION

The Fuzz Factory from ZVex is a 5-knob fuzz pedal with 2 old-stock '60s germanium transistors. Though the circuit isn't modeled after any one specific classic fuzz effect, it delivers tones straight out of the 1960s. These 5 knobs control the Fuzz Factory's parameters at various operating levels, letting you shape your own personalized fuzz. ZVex designed the Fuzz Factory to consume less energy than other effects pedals. When on, the Fuzz Factory's current is less than 3 mA. This fuzz pedal is hand-painted and assembled by hand too so each is unique. Includes a 9V DC power jack and green on/off LED.

ZVex Fuzz Factory Controls

Volume: Output level
Gate: Squelches noise after end of sustain. Turn to the right to eliminate squeals, hiss, and buzz, stopping just as they disappear, or use to tune in exact feedback pitch. Turning to the left opens gate.
Compress: Adds attack characteristic when turned to the left, which gets softer to right, and suddenly pinches tone when all the way right. Also tunes in fat, feedbacky fuzz. Lower the Stability and see what happens to this control.
Drive: Increases distortion when used as a "normal" fuzz and adjusts feedback pitch and tonal thickness.
Stability: Use to control feedback pitch. This is one of the pedal's more finicky controls, so it will take some experimentation to get it right.

SOUND QUALITY

I was not a fan of the sound as I had previously mentioned. I was recording with the unit and I did get a fun usable oscillating feedback noise that tracked very well. But the overall tone of the unit was not what I wanted.

If you want to know how this thing sound in a recording situation then listen to the band Muse and the song "Plug in Baby". The opening guitar riff is all Fuzz Factory. I have to say that the pedal tracks quite well. And if you are going for a sound that is unlike most distortion boxes then this pedal might be up your alley.

OVERALL OPINION

I am just not a fan of how this thing sounds. I don't find it to be very pleasing to my ears. Many people like the unit and it is for some, just not me. If you want a thinner sounding fuzz tone instead of the thick meaty tone of the Big Muff then this might be your pedal. I'm just so used to the Big Muff as far as the standard of fuzz pedals that this unit didn't please me.

At new they come in at around $300 for the hand painted, They have other versions of that the hand painted that come much less in price but with the circuit inside.

This is a tube distortion pedal, similar to the original distortions by Electro-Harmonix and Germanium. This pedal comes with a power supply, and has two 1/4" jacks for input and output. It isn't rackable and can't be edited with a computer or controlled with MIDI.

UTILIZATION

This is a relatively easy pedal to use, and it gives you a pretty wide variety of tones to choose from. There are five knobs which control the timbre of the sound. There are knobs that control volume, gate (the noise gate that comes built-in), compression, drive (similar to gain), and "stab" (which I don't have a technical explanation for other than it stands for Stability). Stability is basically the amount at which your signal (the fundamental tone) cuts through the mix. Stab is what allows you to have a more passive fuzz or a more in-your-face, physically present distortion. Between these five knobs, there is a ton of control to be had with this pedal, though be forewarned; only really heavy sounds are coming out of this guy.

SOUND QUALITY

The sounds that come out of this thing are wild, extreme distortions. I use it with my Fender Strat and I have to make a lot of use of the noise gate in order to even get it to work. When it does though, it sounds incredible, especially for leads. I like using it with my Les Paul as well, since that guitar is better for really rocking out anyway. The range of sounds is pretty drastic for a pedal that is so uniformly heavy. This pedal ranges from newer sounding alternative/hard rock rhythm tones to classic Zeppelin-esque rhythm tones. I particularly like how much my tone can end up resembling that of Neil Young when playing with Crazy Horse. That sound is enormous and heavy while still being clear, and that's one of the great things about this pedal. Different setting will accentuate different overtones, making the capability of producing interesting noises pretty easy. I think that this is definitely a pedal for someone who explores heavy rock predominantly. I don't think blues/rock or folk-rock players would be too crazy about this pedal. But for those who are interested, this thing is pretty amazing.

OVERALL OPINION

I'd highly recommend this pedal to any really heavy rock fan, or someone who's really into distortion in general. This is sort of comparable to a big muff, but it's got a lot more control and arguably superior tone (I'm still not sure which pedal sounds better). This thing is kind of expensive, about $300 new, but I'm sure you could possibly find a used one around somewhere. It's definitely worth the price considering how transcendent some of the effects are on this thing.

The Zvex Fuzz Factory is a versatile fuzz/distortion pedal designed for use with electric guitar, but of course usable with any electronic instrument. The pedal is made up of analog components, boasting new old-stock 60's germanium transistors. The Fuzz Factory has standard 1/4" connections and 9 volt power is needed. It isn't rackable as it is a stomp box.

UTILIZATION

The make up of the Zvex Fuzz Factory is generally pretty easy to understand. I should say that a have a lot of experience working with distortion and pedals in general, but I believe that even if you didn't have too much experience that you'd be able to figure out how to use this pedal pretty quickly. The pedal has parameters for volume, gate, compression, drive, and stab. The manual should help you out if you're unfamiliar with what these types of parameters will accomplish.

SOUND QUALITY

Generally, I'm a big fan of the tones that are possible with the Zvex Fuzz Factory. You've got your standard fuzz and distortion tones that can really rip, but it also has the capabilities to go beyond these basic tones. Having the built in compression is a huge plus, and for me is one of the best parts about this pedal. I have used the Fuzz Factory for recording in tandem with a Fender Jazzmaster and a '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb, so I got a great idea of what the pedal truly sounds like, and let me tell you that I like what I hear!

OVERALL OPINION

While a bit more pricey than most fuzz pedals out there, what you are getting with the Zvex Fuzz Factory is versatility and top notch craftsmanship and build. The pedal is built like a brick, and I've seen it come in a few different very cool looking designs. I'd recommend checking this one of for sure if you're looking for any sort of fuzz or distortion pedal, as I think that you'll be very happy that you did so.